When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
2005 R 230 SL350 (M112 3.7). Sold the 1966 W113 230SL recently
Just a reminder - the cracks around the ‘ball bearing ports’ in your trunk lock sit in the part shown in the photos. Inspecting the plastic and glueing the cracks is much easier after extracting the part from the assembly. It easily slides out after prying the two retaining clips beside the rubber tube. (Make sure not to mess/glue the functioning ports....)
Re. 1 easy fix. There’s loads of info on this forum about replacing the struts that hold up your trunk lid.
Re. 2 this takes more time and effort. Check the info on this forum. If your hydraulic fluid is low, checking the system for leaks is essential.
Thank you so much for the information.
really appreciated.
OK. I have epoxied all 6 ports. Sucking or blowing on the vacuum line next to it I can hear air moving in this port area (circled). Is this normal or do I still have work to do? Forgive me for borrowing the pic
I'm looking to buy a SL350 2004. The top doesn't come up, it signals "Close Boot Lid". Soft close is not working. All door locks, windows et.c. are working properly and the boot lock can be manoeuvered from the key.
Before I pull everything apart, is this fix likely the solution to the problem?
Thanks!
Last edited by Mats Wesen; 02-10-2019 at 08:11 AM.
Yes, that is a symptom of the pneumatic function of the latch failing. One thing you can try is to pull fuse 71 on the rear panel for a few minutes to reset the PSE pump. When the pump recognizes a leak, it shuts off that valve. Resetting the pump will make the pump operate that valve again, at lease for a few cycles until it detects a leak. If that temporarily fixes the trunk latch so it fully pulls down the lid, then you definitely need to look into fixing its leaks.
Thanks a lot!
Seller confirmed today, soft close is working after he pulled the fuse. Will pop over to his garage (friends) and try to fix it. Then I'll buy the car.
Another successful $10 repair that saved us $400 in spare parts only. And I have about $9,99 worth of epoxy left for other stuff that needs glueing..
Thanks a lot!
Last edited by Mats Wesen; 02-15-2019 at 12:53 PM.
This is a very useful post for repairing a cracked soft close trunk latch. However, I have chosen to replace mine. It seems straightforward but I have questions on disconnecting the pneumatic connecter without damaging it. Does this require a special tool? Is there a trick to it?
This little two pin connector housing broke in half and the wires came loose. The one to the left in the attached photo.
I've got a new connector housing and pins from Mercedes but I don't know in which one of the holes the cables should be inserted. One of the cables is brown, the other one is brown/blue. Don't want to short circuit anything.
Grateful for any help, thank you
Last edited by Mats Wesen; 02-19-2019 at 11:23 AM.
I followed all the instructions about how to repair air leaks in the soft close actuator. Great detailed information. I then decided to test the actuator before installing back on to the trunk lid. I had a standard garden weed killer spray pump (that you fill with water and weed killer). Emptied the contents and removed the spray lance leaving only the hose which I connected to the soft close actuator. Pushed the latch until the first click then pumped the spray pump until the soft close latch moved into the closed position. It held the pressure and was able to determine that all the leaks had been fixed and leave it for a couple of minutes and test again. Tried this six times and worked every time. Refitted the actuator to the trunk and so far, so good, a week later no problems.
Hope this will be of help, saves purchasing pressure or vacuum test pump.
Sometimes when the trunk completes its open cycle, it starts closing on its own. Hits me on the head if I am getting something out of the trunk. Ideas?
Welcome to the forum! Please take a moment to visit the User Control Panel and update your profile to include your car model year, and your location (at least country). This information will then appear below your name and avatar on the left side panel next to each post you make. This will greatly help others to give you better information. If you are using the mobile version of the site, you will need to switch to the "full" version to get to the User Control Panel.
So I assume you have the automatic trunk opener where the hydraulics fully raise it? I think there are still some Lift-O-Mat struts use to hold it up and they may have gone bad.
Welcome to the forum! Please take a moment to visit the User Control Panel and update your profile to include your car model year, and your location (at least country). This information will then appear below your name and avatar on the left side panel next to each post you make. This will greatly help others to give you better information. If you are using the mobile version of the site, you will need to switch to the "full" version to get to the User Control Panel.
So I assume you have the automatic trunk opener where the hydraulics fully raise it? I think there are still some Lift-O-Mat struts use to hold it up and they may have gone bad.
Good thought, although, the problem is intermittent. Also, the closure seems to be an active hydraulic action. Would that fit with bad struts?
Could be temperature related if it's the Lift-O-Mat struts. If it's hydraulic...do you hear the pump running, like it's actuating the cylinders to close? If so, then something electrical must be tripping the close function. BTW, you might want to start a new regular thread of this since it's not an issue with the latch.
Great repair procedure. The oxygen concentrator was a good idea--didn't have one so I used an aquarium air pump. Fixing the unit wasn't the issue--testing it was. Followed the suggestion to test it before total reassembly, I installed it and moved the latch to the first position. The 'open' actuator immediately activated, returning the latch to the open position. The lock actuator would attempt to operate but seemed to bind. I did learn that with the two electrical connectors disconnected the lock actuator would operate if I operated the 'lock' lever on the deck lid. This gave me some confidence that the leak repair was successful.
I finally decided to test it fully assembled. To my amazement, it worked perfectly. There must be a position sensor that keeps the latch from engaging with the deck lid up. Does anyone know if that's correct?
I had been noting this thread on the forum for a long time. It was one of those issues that I expected I would have someday.
When I saw my "Trunk Lid Open" message a few weeks ago, I knew where to look for advice, and it was right on the money!
Some particulars in my case:
1) I pulled fuse #71 to reset the message. The problem recurred daily. I reset it daily.
2) When I finally dug into the latch repair, this thread was a lifesaver.
3) I used "Double Bubble Blue Individually Packaged, 2-Hour" epoxy to seal the leaky bits. (Amazon. Expensive epoxy, but fool-proof.)
4) I also managed to break the tiny two-wire connector. Fixed it with the same epoxy.
5) The ball-and-socket connection to the exterior latch was very hard to separate and then even harder to rejoin. I was afraid of breaking the $%&# plastic socket by pushing too hard. Finally, I used a long-handled nut setter to push the socket up onto the ball. I pushed so hard that when it finally popped on, I thought that I had broken it, but it was actually OK.
So far, with several days' use, all seems to be fixed!
Last edited by CPDay; 04-25-2019 at 07:53 AM.
Reason: grammar
01-01-2019, 09:59 PM
Happened to my 2008 SL550
